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tv   The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer  CNN  September 15, 2010 5:00pm-7:00pm EDT

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and give away the book "conventional idiocy" that i wrote. we got a tweet a little while ago and the person was very sudden about what he thought and here's what he said. here's what he said, give some more of the books away, tight wad. so for writing that, we have decided that on this day we're going to give him the book. hire now wolf blitzer in "the situation room." >> thanks very much, rick, happening now, obama democrats can hardly contain their enthusiasm after a bombshell senate primary win for the tea party movement. we just heard from the president of the united states kicking off the final sprint to election day. is this party misreading the results of the divisions within the gop? this hour, we unveil our
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remarkable new poll on reid's re-election bid. and could the filmmaker michael moore be the next white house chief of staff, i'll talk to him about his unusual offer and his love-hate relationship with the democratic party. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." we just saw president obama front and center in the rose garden over at the white house. he faced reporters just as democrats are clinging to new hope that they'll hold on to their majority in the united states senate. the tea party movement's candidate's stunning win in the delaware republican primary has delivered a powerful new blow to the gop establishment. the president set the stage for the end game this fall, talking about the issues voters care about most, the u.s. economy. he again accused republicans of standing in the way. >> we don't have time for anymore games.
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i understand there's an election coming up. but the american people didn't send us here to just think about our jobs, they sent us here to think about theirs. they sent us here to think about their lives and their children's lives and to be responsible. and to be serious about the challenges we face as a nation. that's what members of both parties have now done with this small business jobs bill. and i hope we can work together to do the same thing on middle class tax relief in the weeks to come. >> let's bring in our white house correspondent dan lothian. dan, the president, he came out, very forceful, saying, yes, there may be a deal on some tax breaks for businesses, small businesses, but there's a big battle brewing over tax rates overall for the american public? >> that's right, this is nothing new that we heard today in that sense because over the past couple of weeks, this is what the white house has been pushing very hard on and they have been going after representative john boehner, the house minority
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leader who they have been holding up as a symbol of this contrast between republicans and democrats, that republicans are obstructionists that they are pushing to help the wealthiest of americans and holding the middle class hostage to this, so they believe they are making progress on this, one administration official telling me that it feels good to be on the offensive. that's why you saw the president go out and add this to his schedule late today to talk about jobs and the economy, pointing out where progress is being made but keeping the pressure up on capitol hill because they believe this is starting to resonate with americans, wolf. >> what's the reaction over at the white house to christine o'donnell's surprise win in delaware. >> reporter: they're obviously smiling over here, wolf, because the establishment republican candidate was expected to win this seat that was held by vice president biden for so many years and now this big surprise, but what white house spokesman robert gibbs says is that this
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race and this win exposes this rift within the republican party. take a listen. >> i think last night showed that there was a debate going on inside the republican party for the hearts and minds of republican voters. if you look at what people like karl rove and people like the state gop chairman have said, the republicans in delaware nominated somebody that they don't believe can win, i think in the words of the state party chair, couldn't be elected dogcatcher. >> reporter: and so democrats really feel they have the advantage there in delaware, but one senior administration official saying they're not taking anything for granted, it's up to the voters and they are not gloating too much. >> now to the fallout within the republican party from the tea
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party movement's victory in delaware. some of the biggest, biggest names in the gop establishment begrudgingly offering some words of support today for the senate nominee christine o'donnell, the man she defeated, former governormike castle says there's zero chance he will support o'donnell. a series of losses by republican candidates in alaska, kentucky and colorado. let's go to dana bash. you getting reaction from some of those gop establishment leaders, what are they saying? >> reporter: make no mistake, privately republican leaders are still saying they're very upset about the upsets of last night. they saw the light, so to speak when the sun came up this morning, and they are saying things very differently today. they realize that they have to get behind this republican candidate for many reasons, most importantly, they want those
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forces that elected her to stay energized, not just in delaware, but across the country. yesterday i talked to john cornyn who was the senator in charge of electing republicans here, he has concerns about o'donnell's electability and today he was singing a zirnts tune. >> well, i mean it's a blue state, but my motto after scott brown won in massachusetts was if it can happen in deep blue massachusetts it can happen anywhere. and i think what ms. o'donnell demonstrated is sort of the intensity of the rage and the anger that people are feeling against washington. >> is there, dana, some anger towards senator jim demint of south carolina, he was an early supporter of christine o'donnell over the gop establishment favorite mike castle. >> reporter: there is. again, just like last night we did see that spill out into the public, but just like everything else, they're trying ing ting
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that today, but there definitely are some hard feelings for supporting her and some other candidates that could not win as easily as other candidates that they back. i interviewed senator demint in his office today and some sources said that he is saying that purity is more important than actually getting the majority, he rejected that. >> the gop establishment is out and what we're going to do is help the american people take back their government and i hope the republican party will be the party that carries that banner. >> reporter: even demint, wolf, he admitted that o'donnell is going to have a tough time getting elected in november. but the most important thing is that republican voters are sending the message that in his words the kind of mushy candidates that have been elected in the past won't stand, they want people who are really going to take charge of the voters and that people here in washington should start doing their job.
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>> dana bash on capitol hill for us. when christine o'donnell woke up this morning, she sounded fully prepared to campaign for the general election without the support of the state or national republican party. >> we will reach out to them, but i'm confident that if they choose not to get behind this race, we will get the support that we need and we can win in november. >> let's dig deeper with our senior political analyst gloria borger. only yesterday some top national republican leaders were saying that if she won, she could forget about getting money from the national republican party. today they're playing a different tune. >> today they pledged her $42,000 from the republican committee and that's all they're allowed to give her. now there's a little bit of acceptance, okay, she's our candidate, but i sat down today with a top republican senate strategist who said, look, we're
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pragmatic here, all we care about is viability, all we want to do is win back control of the senate so. if down the road o'donnell looks like a viable candidate which to them means that she's within single digits of her opponent, then they'll reassess and they might just give her some money because they want to get this seat. they have got a point coming up where they can give some coordinated campaign money, $180,000 max, and then down the road, those independent expenditures which help fund campaign ads. he didn't rule it out, but i wouldn't hold my breath because they believe she's going to stay way behind in a state like delaware and they also quite frankly didne lly don't think s credible candidate and they don't think it's right for tea party folks to introduce themselves to independents. >> she just defeated one of
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these most popular politicians in the the state of delaware one who has won state wide over and over again, that's prettyism pressive. >> it is impressive. but as you pointed out to me, these primary race are very different from general election campaigns, she's going to have to stand up to a lot more scrutiny from her democratic opponents, even though castle was pretty tough, wolf, they're saying they're not sure she's going to be able to with stand that scrutiny, but in the end, wolf, republican who is now republican the senate are going to have to live with a bunch of tea party candidates that they didn't like at the beginning of this election cycle. and, you know, that's happened before in 1980 when ronald reagan wished in a whole bunch of republican senators who -- some of whom were one-term wonders but republicans had a hard time adjusting to them too. we'll see if that's the case now. new hampshire voters are
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stealing some of the tea party's thunder, just a few moments ago, the republican candidate was declared the winner of the senate primary. the big question now, will he demand a recount? he faces a deadline this hour to decide. here in the nation's capital, the anti-incumbent trend does have some legs, mayor fenty does have -- vincent gray, vincent gray is likely to win in d.c. congressman charlie rangel defeated five primary challengers, decisively despite the ethics clog, rangel is a
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shoe in to win in november. the question is how his ethics charges play out. whether or not the democrats keep control of the senate, will harry reid be their -- we have some poll numbers coming into "the situation room" about reid's race for re-election in nevada. and a threat to burn korans here in the united states sparks deadly new violence overseas. ...pure... and also delicious. ♪ like nature valley. granola bars made with crunchy oats and pure honey. because natural is not only good, it also tastes good. nature valley -- 100% natural. 100% delicious.
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jack cafferty is here with "the cafferty file." >> there's a school of thought on yesterday's primary that goes like this, the tea party movement might be the best thing that ever happened to the democrats, raising questions about internal divisions among tea party favorites. christine o'donnell walked all over nine-time u.s. congressman mike castle in the senate primary. castle, they were talking about whether she is a viable candidate, castle had held elected office in delaware for more than 40 years and had the entire national republican establishment behind him. o'donnell was endorsed by sarah palin. many think o'donnell's win now means the democrats have an unexpected clans eed chance to the delaware senate seat. it would be a shame if they lost joe biden's own senate seat by a member of the tea party. one remember strategist called the delaware primary results, i
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love this, this is a quote, straight out of harry reid's dream journal. mean while, another tea party victory came here in new york. carl paladino defeated rick laz -- although some question the ability of tea party candidates to win the general elections, other -- a piece in the washington examiner called one nation under revolt says that while many have ignored or belittled the tea party movement, it has only grown stronger showing an unprecedented level of activism and enthusiasm. part of the reason for that is this, a new cnn opinion research corporation poll shows that only one in four americans say they trust our government to do what's right always or most of the time. 25%. that's it. so here's the question. is the tea party for real? go to cnn.com/ska nrks nrks doc.
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>> is the tea party for real, zbi guess you better believe it is. it's going to make a burp -- not such gingrich and his band of thieves wrote the congress back in '94 have the midterms potentiallied that this much interest. >> r. we have some new eye popping poll numbers. new snapshots on the big rations across the nation. every wednesday, we'll will releasing these numbers, look at this one we're unveiling right now that shows harry reid neck and neck with his republican opponent sharon angle who has the support of the tea party movement. 42% of likely voters in nevada
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back, angle 41% of likely voters support reid. we'll have more on that coming up later. we have other poll numbers coming in from washington state and ohio as well. but let's discuss with our senior political analyst gave gerggave -- david gergen who's trying to understand this stunning upset yesterday. how does this change the national environment? >> well, wolf, we certainly know that the rebellion is real when a liberal state like delaware when a woman comes from nowhere in the polls and is able to pull off this kind of upset, the level of anger, frustration, disgust with the status quo i think is evident now all over the country. the tea party is clearly for real. now what this means in the near term, and i think by the way, we aunt to be very respectful of voters who are speaking because one thing has been very clear, is the elites don't understand the grass roots in this country right now.
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so those of us who are knocked down in the trenches the way some of these voters are, people have to say wait a minute, we need to respect them and listen to what they have to say. that on the table -- i just want to say in terms of the republicans, there's no question the chances of taking the senate have been diminished by the upset in delaware. >> i was going to say, maybe we shouldn't have been so surprised if you take a look at the way the republican establishment candidates are just making a list in front of me, alaska, nevada, kentucky, florida, south carolina, utah and now delaware, maybe we shouldn't have been all that surprised. but what is really interesting is that not just sarah palin, and christine o'donnell now, but women are really becoming a force in this tea party movement. >> they certainly are. and as we saw with christine o'donnell in delaware last night, and we're going to wind
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up now, republicans have five women who are running for the senate, senate nominees. this is unusually high for them. had they won in alaska where the woman lost, lisa markowsky, they would actually have seven. but for the republican party, this is healthy, this is partly the sarah palin affect, she has been galvanizing, she's been a model and there are people who think that christine o'donnell in delaware is sort of sarah palin's clone. so this is a -- we're in new times, just as the economy, there's a new normal in the economy that's emerging, it looks like there's a new normal emerging in politics, we don't know what it's all going to mean. republicans come out of the hole in election season in strong shape, good shape to take the house, less good shape last night to take the senate. but right at the end here, we have got a new story line that's developing, are the extremists
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taking over the republican party, that could suppress the vote and some of the enthusiasm for even being in the house, we'll have to wait and see how that plays out in the poll numbers in the next few days. >> i wouldn't sell the enthusiasm level short in the next few days. we're following other top stories as well. are cost cutting measures to blame for that oil spill? and are you looking for a job? we're going to show you one place where employment right now is on the rise. with carbohydrates for energy and protein for muscles. [ woman announcing ] beneful incredibites. another healthful, flavorful beneful.
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kate bolduan is's monitoring some of the top stories in "the situation room" right now. embattled outgoing bp chief tony hayward is denying cost saving is the reason his company put only one blowout preventer in the -- he is testifying before a british parliamentary committee today. when asked about that, he said there are many things he would do differently. and the controversy over a florida pastor threatening to burn copies of the koran on the september 11 anniversary is sparking new fires in afghanistan.
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two demonstrators were shot and five police officers were injured. the pastor ultimately never followed through with the burnings. and if you're looking for a job, you might think about coming right here to washington. employment in the district is up 3% this year. that's higher than every state in the country. and according to one website, many of the full-time positions available pay more than $40,000 a year. the unemployment rate is 9.8%, that's slight lly higher than t national average, but not a bad advertisement for the district. we heard president obama just a short while ago, once again accusing republicans of holding middle class tax breaks hosz stage. and it could call come down to
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turnout, turnout, turnout. democrats seem to be having a hard time getting their voters all fired up and out to the polls.
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president obama's returning today to one of his favorite lines of attack against republicans. we heard him just a short while ago in the rose garden over at the white house, accusing the gop of holding middle class tax cuts hostage because they want to extend bush era tax breaks for the wealthiest americans. and joining us now from capitol hill, two members of congress, eric cantor, he's the number two republican in the house of representatives and kevin mccarthy, he's a republican in california. they're two of the three authors of a brand-new book entitled "young guns" a new generation of conservative leaders. this third author paul ryan unfortunately could been with us, we'll talk to him on another occasion. congressmen thanks very much for coming in. congressman cantor, i want to start with you, when it comes
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down to getting the current tax rates for the mid class for about 97% or 98% of the american people, those earning less than $250,000 a year and not able to continue the tax rates for the richer americans, will you like john boehner, go along with that proposal? >> wolf t situation here in washington, in the u.s. house is this. we have a bipartisan majority in support of the position that says we ought not be raising taxes on anybody, especially in a recession. we need jobs right now, we know that over 2/3 of the jobs come from small businesses. the problem with allowing taxes to go up right now is you're going to tax the very people that we're expecting to put their money to work to create jobs. the house democrats, wolf, have continued to say that they're going to look to the senate to go first on this bill. we know as well yesterday, senators lieberman and web joined senators conrad, senator
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bayh and nelson saying they don't want to raise taxes on anybody. we have peter orszag saying now's not the time to raise taxes. so what we say now is speaker pelosi, bring us -- >> under the hypothetical possibility, and it's a very real possibility, if you speak to negotiatifolks at the white e president could veto that and say i'm sticking by my guns and say i only want the tax cuts to stay for the mid class. do you allow taxes to go up for everyone? >> the president's wrong, what happens in that situation, he's taxing small business, he's taxing every individual when it comes to dividends. the president is wrong with the idea that he puts new health care tax on, he has cap and trade looming out there and then he goes out there and raises the taxes on small businesses and he
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wonders why people aren't being hired. it doesn't have to be that way. you have bipartisan, you have three democrats who are sitting in the house telling the president he's wrong and asking others to join with us. we can have a bipartisan bill that puts -- doesn't put the middle class in a recession. >> what if he doesn't blink and he holds firm, congressman mccarthy, what do you do, will you do what your leader john boehner said on sunday he would do? >> i think the president would be wrong, i think we should send the president a bill that does not raise taxes on anyone and makes sure you do not raise taxes on small business in a recession when unemployment is so high. this is a president that said if we passed the stimulus, unemployment would never go above 8%. a lot of people still believe that elvis presley is still alive. i think the president ought to reequate the situation.
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>> let me move on to what happened in delaware. congressman cantor, i'll get your response. mike castle, a long-time republican, member of the house, a man you know quite well, all of a sudden he loses to a tea party favorite, christine o'donnell, how shocked were you by that? >> wolf, i think this primary election that occurreded last night in delaware is not too much different than a lot of what the electorate has been demonstrating over the past year. and that is the electorate is f fed up, fed up with -- they want people focusing on sustaining the promises that they make. and i do think that that's what caused the outcome in the election last night. >> her win, christine o'donnell, i should say, her win shows that a lot of republican conservative voters are fed up with republicans. >> it's not just republicans.
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it's the independents out there who are feeling the same frustration, people are tired of spending money we don't have, people are tired of the fact that as kevin points out, the stimulus just hasn't worked. let's get down to it, people in america don't think spending more money in washington is going to get people back to work and that's the message that's been sent last night in delaware and across the country. >> so were you surprised by mike castle's defeat? you know this congressman? >> i know this well, i wasn't surprised when i saw the momentum. remember, this is the seventh incumbent that when you look through the different states, utah and others that have gone down. this is an unusual year, and this is a year that people are trying to take this city back from a couple different perspectives, yes, they're mad,
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this is an incumbent year. but they cake that experience at it to work in november. the tea party is stronger today than they were today and the tea party's main focus is about spending. they would go to all those rallies trying to change people's opinion and these elected officials have ignored it. >> is there no room for moderates in the republican party, mike castle being a moderate? >> of course there are, let's go again and say what this election was about in delaware. it's just the same as about pretty much everywhere right now, it's about too much spending, it's about people not delivering on promises they make and it's about a commitment to make sure we get washington out of so much of our every aspect of our lives. that's what that was about. it's not about moderate or conservative, it is about common sense, fiscal discipline and getting this country back on track. that's what the voters are feeling right now, and look,
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kevin and i and paul wrote a new book and it's called "young guns" a new generation of conservative leaders. what we're trying to do is say we're a republican party that learned from our mistakes in the past and we are also learning from all the mistakes that have been made by this administration and the congress. if we stick to the principles of free enterprise, of limited government, that we understand that the power comes from the people and let them keep more of the money they earn, we can get this economy back on track. we have unbelievable candidates out there running across the country who believe in a new inclusive republican party that stands for opportunity first. >> erewe'll have paul ryon on b himself. thanks very much. we'll have a check on some
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in china and japan. and a new hope, literally, for one of the 33 miners trapped hundreds of feet underground in chile. his wife has given birth to a little girl. he suggested the name espiranza, meaning hope. and a close encounter of an unusual kind. look at the shattered window here of this medical helicopter. this three-midweste othree-persg over arizona when a vulture hits the helicopter and lands on his chest. the vulture wasn't so lucky. i guess th i. are democrats underestimating the power of sarah palin and the tea party movement? just ahead a reality check on
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get right to our strategy session, joining us now are cnn political contributors rowan martin and alex k. you were a little boy at the time, there was a president named jimmy carter, the democrats were in the white house. a lot of those guys, when they heard that ronald reagan, an actor from hollywood was the republican nominee, they were going around high-fiving, they were thrilled. how could the president of the united states lose to this hollywood actor? is the same phenomenon going on right now when all these democrats are looking at these tea party candidates and saying there's no way we can lose? >> i think more so the media are making those kinds of statements as it relates to the tea party candidates winning. they have some serious issues,
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but you cannot ignore the ground game. who cares about endorsements, who cares about money. they beat them in the primaries, but you can't ignore what happened in the general election. it's all up for grabs, the conventional wisdom would be out the window. >> the tea party candidates like christine o'donnell in delaware, she beat one of the most popular politicians in the history of the state of delaware. >> yeah, and i think the message, wolf, here is that this is an anti-establishment election, people look at washington, republican and democrat and say, all you experts qualified people, you know, you have spent the country into bankruptcy and debt i can never pay. there's a new generation of republicans out there that's part of this wave, the tea party is part of it, but so are scott bro brown, carly fiorina and meg whitman. these anti-establishment candidates just ate the old republican establishment for a
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snack. they're coming in november for dinner. >> and roland, you talk about the ground game, getting out to vote on november 2. look at this study, the american university center study of the american electorate. a study that came out and said this, republican turnout in their state wide primaries exceeded democratic turnout in theirs by more than 4 million votes. the average percentage of eligible citizen who is voted in democratic primaries was the lowest ever. the average percentage of citizen who is voted in the gop state wide primaries was the highest since 1970. the republicans, the conservatives, they're enthusiastic, the democrats not so much. >> folks operate on emotion. if you look at 2006, 2008, democrats move on.org, all of those groups, they were fired up when it came to the war and the economy and it was anybody but bush. republicans, even when senator john mccain was a nominee, who
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said i'm not really enthused about the guy. what the democrats have to defense the next 50-some odd days, they have to do a better job of framing the opponent, but also making clear, this is what we accomplished. they have made a major mistake by dancing around, we're not sure. if you can't explain what you have done to help this country, yes they will throw you out because they all say you did nothing for us. >> you ever see something this late in the game 57 days before del the election. >> democratic side, contested primary, hot, kendrick meeks, 936,000 people, very close, he came from behind to win. 936,000 democrat came out to vote on the republican side, the race was over, marco rubio got 34%. 9.4 republicans came out. 34,000 more. the reason the wave is big is
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because of the reagan effect. reagan said, look, we don't have faith in washington, washington is broken, but the american people can do anything, and that's the message this election -- the president is on the wrong side ofa. >> can the president change the game between now and november? >> he can do some things, but it's really not his job. the question is when it comes to the democratic senatorial campaign committee, how much are they putting into the ground game as it relates to african-americans and his spannics and women and young voters? how are they driving there? they're looking at their pdas saying we'll -- you need to drag them out of houses and say if you don't come out to vote, this is going to be the net effect. >> the president is stuck in a royalist elite message that says washington has all the answers. send us all your money. i have never seen anything as fundamentally dishonest by the
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way as what the president did today by the way saying if i don't take money out of your pocket and put it in my pocket, you're costing money. reagan won because his message was i have faith in the american people, the democratic message in this election is we don't have faith in the american people. send us your money to washington. >> independents and democrats, when they want the economy fixed, when they want education fixed, who do they look to? the question s are they getting what they want out of government? so on both sides, when times are happy, they don't want anymore government. >> the establishment is cooked. >> on the republican and the democratic side? >> we have both seen them have the republican establishment for a snack, dinner time's coming. >> okay. >> that's going to be the key, the ground game. jack cafferty is asking is the tea party for real, he'll be back in just a moment.
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and the latest word coming in from craigslist on its adult services ad section, cnn following up on its investigation of underaged girls being sold for sex online. [ tires screech ] [ engine revving ] [ drums playing ] [ male announcer ] 306 horsepower. race-inspired paddle shifters. and f-sport-tuned suspension. all available on the new 2011 lexus is. it isn't real performance unless it's wielded with precision.
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back with t"the cafferty file," jack. >> eric in new york writes, what is real is the frustration ordinary americans feel that the world's seemingly out of control, the tea party has just taken advantage of that frustration and the caliber of their candidates is a reflection of that frustration. the tea party is merely the nutty wing of the republican party, rebranded to sound cool. ken writes, the democrats are feel smug about the tea party victories in the primaries because they see it as a dismantling of the gop, but in actuality, we're not looking at what candidate holds the party, but we the -- the politicians had better start listening. david writing, i think the tea party is doing the united states
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a big favor. my father once told me, every once in a while you need to get drunk in order to appreciate sobriety. stephen writes, real? maybe yes, maybe no. what's real si the contempt that most of us have for the way our elected officials feed at the public trough and put their interests party first ahead of ours. s.j. writes from honolulu, no, the tea party victories are the result of all the lies and propaganda is republican party has been pushing out over the last couple of years. now they have pushed their base so far to the right as to alienate most moderates and independents. we can only hope that the chicken comes home to roost in november. and harold in alaska writes it's not the boston tea party, it's more like the mat hatter's tea party, with sarah in wonderland presiding. if you want to read more on this, you'll find it on
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cnn.com/caffer cnn.com/caffertyfile. the centers for disease control calls it an alarming insure jeptd. what the government is now doing to fight bed bugs. plus she managed a heavyweight defeat against her own party. my. that's when you find out your cut-rate insurance it ain't payin' for this. so get allstate. [ dennis ] dollar for dollar nobody protects you from mayhem like allstate. sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office. i can't hear you because i'm also making you a smoothie. [ male announcer ] marriott hotels & resorts knows it's better for xerox to automate their global invoice process so they can focus on serving their customers. with xerox, you're ready for real business.
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they're becoming a serious and growing problem around the united states. we're talking about bed bugs. now new action is being taken to
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stop them. kate bolduan is here, she's monitoring the story for us and it seems to be getting worse. >> it seems to be getting portion. it's not a topic anyone likes to talk about. bed bugs were virtually eradicated from the u.s. following world war ii, but due to international travel and banning of certain pesticides and developing resistance to others bed bugs are back and the federal government's jumping in for the fight. >> i feed them once a week. >> so you're one of the rare people who wants healthy bed bugs. >> i want healthy bed bugs to test. >> the sight of them, even the thought of them can make anyone's skin crawl. >> that would qualify as a lot of bed bugs. >> bed bugs are making a big come back. according to a survey by the national pest management association, 95% of pest control companies have faced bed bug infaesations in the past year, that's up from 25% in the year
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2000. and this doctor is at the forefront of the federal government's attempt to take on the pests. his mission, finds the chemical that consistently kills the blood suckers. >> at first, we looked at compounds that the bed bugs produced themselves to see if that could be used. but as the problem has gotten larger and larger, we have looked at new chemistries which are synthesized by our in-house chemists and we're even starting to examine existing chemistries. >> in a quiet lab just outside washington, he has been studying bed bugs for two years. the pest control industry welcomes the help from washington, saying a widespread coordinated effort is needed to wipe them out. >> two years ago, we probably get five calls a year. today we're probably getting five calls a day. >> jason guy is on the front lines, an exterminator in the washington region. >> i have seen them in the best
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hotels, i have seen them in the worst hotels. i have seen them in cruise ships and in homes and in any neighborhood we have in d.c. >> last year the environmental protection agency hosted a bed bugs summit. along with the epa, the centers for disease control and prevention noted an alarming insurgent in bed bugs. back in the doctor's lab, the work for a painstaking solution continues. >> i would much prefer giving an interview saying this is what you want to use than, you know, we're right in the middle of it right now. >> so where are the biggest bed bug problems? take a look here, here's a map of the most bed bug infested cities. new york and philadelphia top the list, washington, d.c. is also on the list. and note there are three ohio cities in the top ten. ohio's governor has made an urgent plea to the epa to approve a pesticide to combat infestations that's currently banned for indoor use.
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there are studies that show it works. >> the federal government now son the case. thanks for the story. happening now a stunning tea party primary win fsends republicans into disarray. we're taking a closer look at the delaware outsider to took on the gop establishment. michael moore says democrats are whimps and they pay a price in november for being too nice. i'll go one-on-one with the outspoken activist and filmmaker. and young girls for sale. amber lions profiled a woman who lost her daughter to child sex trafficking. we're going to show you the dramatic rescue. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room."
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overall, the tea party movement has backed 12 senate candidates with eight of them winning their primaries and that includes some high profile wins by sharon angle in nevada and marco rubio in florida. right now it's the tea party? -- democrats feeling a built better about their chances to hold on to the u.s. senate. brian todd is following this story for us. brian, what are you seeing? >> one political analyst says the democrats haven't gotten news this good for months after being on the ropes in delaware. they now believe they have got the upper hand because of the upset victory of a candidate who some key figures inside the
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republican party say is flawed. she could savor it for a few moments. no sooner had christine o'donnell celebrated victory in delaware's republican primary than she had to deftd defend herself to her own party. >> i know that we can win this even if the establishment doesn't get behind me. >> reporter: she says the same thing about remarks from some party heavyweights outside delaware like former bush strategist karl rove. he says he's met o'donnell, is nottism pressed and says there's a host of personal questions she hasn't answered. quote, how does she make her living? why did she mislead voters about her college education, how come it took nearly a decade to pay her college bills so she could get her college degree. she's denied charged that he falsely claimed earning a master's degree. gop strategist rich galen says the internal republican war for
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goes beyond republican concerns. >> they wanted castle to win t party regulars were invested in mark castle. and for very good reason, decent guy, probably deserved it. probably -- has spent his entire life in public service so they were angry at the fact that this woman swept in in the last ten days and upset their guy. >> reporter: the national republican leadership says it supports o'donnell and is steering some money her way. but i asked o'donnell about what a victory for her might mean. what about the concern that this race, this primary race be splitting the gop in the state to an extent that the gop won't win that seat? >> my positions are based on the republican platform and i believe that the republican platform of limited government, low taxation and free market solutions to our economic crisis is a winning message.
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>> reporter: but after o'donnell's win, nonparty conservative no longer favors republicans to capture joe biden's old senate seat. on the broder implication -- is this going to be the state seat? >> r. >> they have got to win washington, wisconsin, california, all states a that a doable. >> and despite the show of support from the republican national committee, whether o'donnell gets more money from the party is an open question. the group that helps elect senators has pledged $42,000. but the indications we're getting from party big wigs is that christine o'donnell will have to really catch fire with delaware voters. >> what are you hearing from the democrats? i know you have spo the democratic senate candidate.
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>> we asked campaign officials how they're going to go after o'donnell. he said they plan to make this about coons' democratic values. i asked if her personal character would be an issue. you saw how that backfired yesterday. >> thanks very much. brian, the gop establishment is scrambling right now to adjust to the new reality of delaware after this tea party victory. john king is joining us, he's the host of john king usa which airs right at the top of the hour. and you had a chance to speak with the republican party chairman michael steele today. >> it's kiss and make up day in the republican party. he was very stern today in saying, look, give her a chance in delaware and number two, michael steele is very concerned that if you criticize her, you're criticizing those who voted for her. and there are people like that. not just in delaware but in many
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key battleground states. so i asked people about michael castle. he today said he would not endorse her. so i said to michael steele, what is your message to those questioning her? >> i don't know if she can win until we try. how can you claim defeat before you attempt victory? this makes no sense. it makes no sense, so stop it. stop it. >> that's your message to them, stop. >> it let's get behind our nominees. and win the election. then we can have a meeting and sit down and talk about all that stuff. let me tell you, victory is going to be a sweet thing and i don't think you want to have that meeting where you're going to start parsing out who's up, who's down, who wins, who loses. >> michael steele says he's asked party fund-raisers to -- will she get the independent expenditure money.
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another who will help her is jim demint. he has a met network of conservatives around the country. he says if the national party won't help her, he will. >> and sarah palin is a powerful force right now. >> when you look at sharon angle, when she won the primary out of nevada, people said she can't win, republicans should look elsewhere. harry reid is still vulnerable and she done okay at fund racing. many republicans say in this first day after, sharon angle did well on day one. >> michael steele, jim demint, a great conversation. jack cafferty will be here in just a moment with "the cafferty file." and cnn's amber lion has some shocking and heart breaking stories with a stunning ending. >> she was there with a wig on,
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she had on a purple neglige -- >> your 12-year-old daughter? >> yes. >> plus the controversial filmmaker who wants to be, yes the white house chief of staff, michael moore, part two of our interview, he tells me how he would go about helping president obama. ♪
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jack cafferty is here with "the cafferty file." >> it's not like the democrats don't have enough problems going into these midterms in november. now comes word that number of people in this country who are in poverty is on track for a record increase on president obama's watch. it's not to say that it's president obama's fault or the democrats fault, it's likely the fault of the worst economic downturn since the great depression. but some damage will likely accrue to the democrats nymph. scensus figures for 2009 suspecs that the poverty riwrat will ha increased. that translates to 45 million people. one in every seven of us is now poor. it would be the highest increase in poverty since the government began keeping records in 1959. morning working people between the ages of 18 and 64, poverty is expected to have increased
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from 11.7 to 12.4%. it doesn't sound like much, but that would be the highest since 1965 when president linden johnson waged the war on poverty. so here's the question, how will record levels of poverty in the u.s. likely impact the midterm elections? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile and post a comment on my blog. >> pretty serious and depressing numbers there. >> very sad. >> very sad indeed. thank you. craigslist says it has no plans to reactivate its adult services ad section. the announcement made to house members looking into the growing problem of underaged prostitution online. cnn's amber lion was at today's hearing she joins us now from capitol hill with more. i know you have been working hard on this story, amber. tell our viewers what has
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happened. >> reporter: today wolf these representatives in this hearing had a representative of craigslist there and they were drilling him asking him when all this pressure leaves when all the media leaves and it kind of fizzles down are you going to reopen this section that you closed down on september 4? and he said they have no intention of reopening the adult services section. they praised craigslist for making this decision. another big question that was raised at they's hearing was why isn't there more research as to the number of u.s. children who are being sex trafficked because this research just doesn't exist it's been something that's been very difficult as journalists to find out. we have been trying to figure out the numbers here. we hit the streets and found out that unfortunately this is happening. >> where are we headed right now. >> we're going upstairs to her bedroom. sle she's a normal 12-year-old,
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hanna montana, the jonas brothers. >> do you sleep in her bed at night. >> yes, so i can still that have connection. >> her 12-year-old daughter lured away while on her way home from school. she's also trafficked on another website. back page.com. >> a friend of mine told me to look on craigslist and it almost blew my mind, i really didn't believe what i saw. she was there, with a wig on, she had a purple neglige. >> your 12-year-old daughter. >> yes. and the other one was just her rear end, i mean she was bent over. >> everybody wants to know when you look at a website and you see a list of prostitutes, how many of them are children? >> nobody knows what the real numbers are.
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>> back in june, we asked craigslist to estimate the number of potential trafficking in their ads. quote, effectively zero. >> that's not true. we have been able to find, locate and return home 54 missing kids on craigslist. now that is a tiny fraction of what the total scope of the problem is. we found 12 kids on back page. >> the national center for missing and exploited children gave us current missing child posters, all being sold for sex. there are 52 missing persons posters behind me representing 52 girls all under age 18, all missing right now, christina, monica, rachel. and the national center for missing and exploited children says all 52 of these children are being sex trafficked the vast majority of them being sold on the internet. >> we have got white girls,
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black girls, hispanic girls, asian girls. the youngest girl on this wall went missing when she was 13 years old. she may be in the company of an adult male. christina may be in the company of an adult male n this case that adult male is most likely the pump. a group based in georgia called a future not a past commissioned a study. they were focusing on the men who try to buy sex online with underaged girls. >> we wanted to know what's the scope of this problem in georgia. 72 m ,200 men a month buying se from underaged girls just took my breath away. >> there's no reason for websites to report ads for underaged prostitution. the site includes links to help users notify the national center for missing and exploited children if they identify potential abuses. and back in 2008, craigslist
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promised to, quote, work tirelessly and intandem with elnational -- but in a period of 15 months, craigslist only reported 132 ads. that's 132 out of more than 700,000 adult services ads that it rejected. ads that could have provided vital leads about children being bought and sold. and that 12-year-old girl we told you about at the beginning, by chance, we called home just as we were speaking with her mother. >> you should be home. with your family, with your friends, with the people that love you. >> reporter: the first time they had spoken in the two weeks since the little girl had vanished. police rescued the 12-year-old and arrested a 42-year-old man and charged him with human trafficking. one girl rescued out of thousands. >> how are you doing? just please, step away.
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>> reporter: and back here at capitol hill during today's hearing, another big question was raised about whether they're going to shut down their international section. because they said they're going to shut down their adult services section here in the u.s. and the representative says there was no intention to shut down the international site. another thing, wolf, that 12-year-old girl who was in that story is doing okay now and the guy who's been accused of trafficking her is behind bars. >> at least that's good. thanks very much, amber for good reporting for us up on capitol hill. she's going to stay on top of this story for us as well. a check of the day's top stories coming up next, including a new development in that undecided new hampshire senate race. and then we talked to the filmmaker michael moore, he reacts to the latest victories for gop. he has a theory of his own about why president obama's poll numbers have taken a hit. >> things like a small majority
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of americans may have forgotten that the mess we're in was not caused by barack obama, the mess that we're in was caused by george w. bush. [ male announcer ] nature is unique... ...authentic... ...pure... and also delicious. ♪ like nature valley. granola bars made with crunchy oats and pure honey. because natural is not only good, it also tastes good. nature valley -- 100% natural. 100% delicious.
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kate bolduan's got a story that's just coming into "the
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situation room" right now. >> it's something we have been watching a tea party candidate has officially conceded the republican senate primary in new hampshire. he has announced that he will not ask for a recount and will support kelly ai -- mountain had until 5:00 p.m. eastern today, just an hour ago to ask door a recount. that final vote was certified this afternoon. we're watching former pakistani president musharraf wants his olds job back. he's planning to launch a new political party on october 1. musharraf is -- former military leader moved to london after being forced to resign in 2008. he says he'll return to his homeland for the next election in 2013. and two suspected u.s. drone attacks in pakistan have killed 15 alleged militants. pakistani militants say
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officials hit serm hideouts in north waziristan. and several authorities have arrested a long island man as part of their investigation into a failed bombing attack in times square in may. 44-year-old mohammad eunice is charged with funding a money transfer. they do not believe eunice was aware of the suspected intentions of bomber fizal shahzad. he also serve as a reporter--he was equally known for his expertise in the english language on the subject including a civil tongue, edwin newman was 91 years old. >> our deepest condolences to his family. kate, thanks very much. he's disappointed in the
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democrats, but michael moore tells me he can't bear to think about the alternative. >> responsibility now to save the democrats from themselves. they clearly haven't been able to figure out how to do it. we cannot go back, god forbid to two years ago with the held that we just came out of. er late sisr that she would take care of her children.te sisr but she needed help. i used my american express open card to get half a million points to buy building materials to help build the jackson family a new home. well, i know if my dad was still around, he would have told me, with no doubt... he would have told me it's a no brainer and i knew that from the start. it was an honor. booming is moving forward by giving back.
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the last big flurries of primaries in the midterm elections has understored the anti-incumbent, aept washington mood that's been sweeping the entire country. democrats are on the offense and there are predictions that the gop could retake both louses of congress. i spoke about that with a very outspoken political activist and filmmaker. joining us now, michael moore, he's in miami. michael, do democrats deserve to lose big-time in november? >> oh, my god, no. i mean i have a lot of problems with what the obama administration and the democrats in congress have done in terms of how they didn't go in as forcefully as they should have and really fought for some things that working people would have been so excited and enthused about this election so far they would have gone out in droves knocking on every door getting people out for the democrats. they chose to go in weak, which
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is what republicans don't do. when reagan or the bushes, when they're elected, they come nand they act like, oh, we're in charge, everybody out of the way. when we come in, we're like "kumbaya," let's hold hands. i think it makes us nice people, but it may cost us dearly in november. >> what was the problem? why did the country all of a sudden shift so dramatically over the past year and a half or so from the democrats and president obama to what's going on now if you believe so many of the public opinion polls? >> because we have a short attention span. i mean who won the mtv music awards last night, the other night? see? you forgot already, wolf. we just don't -- we forgot already, at least it seems like a small majority of americans may have forgotten that the mess we're in was not caused by barack obama.
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the mess that we're in was becaused by george w. bush. he invaded a country that was no threat to this country, and put us what will be trillions of dollars in debt eventually. meaning we have totally screwed the future of our grandchildren. he presided over further deregulation of wall street and the banking industry that started under bill clinton and he went -- bush was like on steroids with letting the banks and wall street do whatever they want. he caused a huge crash that we're not out of the woods yet and we may be heading toward a different crash. >> i ask these questions because in your most recent column, do the democrats deserve what they're about to get, you ask and your answer, absolutely. and i was a little confused by what you precisely meant by that.
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>> they deserve it only in the sense that they brought it on themselves. but they also went on to say, that we have a responsibility now to save the democrats from themselves. they clearly haven't been able to figure out how to do it. we cannot go back, god forbid to two years ago. with what the held that we just came out of. if you want more of that, if you thought the first decade of this century was just, wow, really something, i guess go ahead and vote for the republicans. if you want john boehner, let me just pause for a moment, just to kind of visualize that, as your speaker of the house, go for it. but i got to believe that most americans, by the time they get in the booth will go, they're going to walk in there and go, oh, these damned democrats i why
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don't they have some guts, but whoa, i'm not going back to what we had so i'm voting for the democrats, damn it. >> why are so people running away from their vote on health care and those who opposed it are proud that they voted against it. you have seen these commercials. >> because democrats are wimps, i don't know, i have said this for a long time. they don't have the courage of their convictions. it's what i have always admired about republicans, even when they're so wrong, they could been more wrong and sometimes more stupid. they just keep going the same thing because they believe in it. they're up at 6:00 in the morning, they're there at the crack of dawn, just fading away, and the only time our side sees the crack of dawn is when we have been up all night. we're a little loosy goosy when it comes to hard core political action, and we better get it together. what have we got now, wolf? we have got some six, seven
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weeks? you know, not long. and these republicans, look, the best thing we have got going for us is that the republicans that are running are the republicans who are running. they're pretty weird and scary to a lot of people and i think people of good heart and who have got a good head, maybe they're a little mad that democrats didn't do that or should have done that, they're going to go, whoa, but we don't -- we can't have people who believe that our children should be taught that adam and eve rode dinosaurs. >> have you heard that some of the major health insurers across the country and i ask you this because of your documentary "sicko" some of the major insurance companies, etna, blue cross/blue shield are about to -- saying it's going to be more expensive and they have got
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to raise premiums for a lot of average folks out there, have you seen those stories. >> first of all i don't have to see the story because i run a production company, i'm a small business person and so i have already seen any premiums be raised with the health care that i provide my employees and people's health care has already gone up, they jack it up whenever they k these insurance companies are the epit me of evil. and we will not really correct our health care problem in this country until we make it illegal, illegal to own or run a health insurance company because it's so paradoxical to say that it's for health when it's an insurance company whose main job is to make as much money as possible. and the best way to make as much money as possible is to deny care to as many people as possible that are part of the health insurance plan. that's how they make their bucks. that's just a crazy system.
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that's got to go. eventually that's got to go. and that's where the democrats messed up because they only went halfway, you don't go halfway, if you're going to end slavery, you end slavery, you don't say well we're going to end slavery in two states. if you're going to give women the vote, you don't say well we're going to give women the vote this year, then next we're we'll try a few more women can vote. that's not the way this country gets better and so i'm just -- i don't know what to say. >> let me wind up with a quick thought because in march you wrote a piece at the time there were suggestions that recaahm emanuel, you said you would replace rahm emanuel, sleep on a cot in the white house basement, apparently he's thinking very seriously now of running for mayor of chicago. is your offer still on the table
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to become the next white house chief of staff? >> yes, the offer is still on the table. they don't have to give me that title. they can give it to somebody else. i'll come in, i'll come in every day, we'll get up at 6:00 in the morning, i'll help light a fire under him, we'll get going, we'll get the job that needs to get done, we'll stand up for the american people, stand up for the working people, you know, have some guts and that's what i think we need so i'm willing to do that, if the president's watching, i'll come help him out. i'm already down here in miami now, i'm working with lebron, i'm getting him ready for the basketball season. he's doing well, i'm doing my part to help him have the best season ever. and by the way, can i just say this about lebron? that a lot of people have criticized his decision. you know, for the young people watching, and young people do watch your show, right, wolf? >> there are some.
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>> okay, lebron james didn't go with the biggest offer of money. he went with what would make him happy. he went where he thought he could win. and he went because he liked to play with his friends. that's a pretty good example to set. so i wish him well down here. >> well, i wish him well except when he plays the washington wizards, my team when the miami heat come to washington. i'm looking forward to him coming but i would like to see the wizards upset the miami heat, but i know it's going to be a challenge. >> yeah, how about this too, when the community center is finally built, the islamic community center in downtown manhattan, you and i do a one-on-one game, i'm a catholic, you're jewish, we'll do it in the muslim center that's america. what do you say? >> basketball was never my strength. >> don't worry, you'll kick my ass, wolf, don't worry.
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>> thank you for coming in. we're just getting this into "the situation room," we're now hearing that the president will in fact go ahead and name elizabeth warren to be a special advisor to oversee what's being called the consumer financial protection agency. he's going to do this without having her formally go through senate confirmation. she's going to be advisor to the president and to the treasury secretary. it's been controversial. she's a controversial figure. there are some who thought she wouldn't be able to get through senate confirmation, but she's going to go ahead. the president's going to name this week elizabeth warren to the advisory role to protect the finances of american individuals. all right, we'll stay on top of that story as well. neck and neck in nevada. we're taking a closer look at some new polls just coming into
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"the situation room" for key senate races across the country. stay with us, you're in "the situation room."
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there could be some real
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cliffhangers on election day. we have just received the latest opinion research corporation polling on some key senate races, we're doing this every wednesday between now and november 2. let's go to nevada, michael, first, you can see up there, sharon angle, 42%, harry reid the majority leader, 41%. these are likely voters. >> yeah. >> this is neck and neck. >> likely voters is key. because some of the polls that don't take into the enthusiasm gap that we have seen. democrats are a little disa affected. things that democrats really need to worry about. with sharon angle. she's a tea party nominee. if sharon angle is doing well that in nevada. who knows what will happen in places like alaska or nevada where the democratic nominee may
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not beat the tea party. >> let's go to ohio right now, it's a key battleground state. the former republican congressman rob portman is fighting lee fisher, 52% for the republican, 41% for fisher, remember, these are likely voters. he looks pretty strong right now. >> you know, i was out in ohio for a week in may and things were not looking so bad for fisher at the time. people were saying fisher was not what the washington democratic establishment thought was a great candidate, but he was sort of overperforming and they were worried that rob portman was going to do better, but this summer, the economy really sputtered. the arguments about the stimulus didn't really kick in. unemployment in ohio is terrible. portman is pulling away and i think democrats are feeling we might be able to hold ohio but this may not be the case. >> patty murray, the incumbent democrat in washington state, she is ahead among likely voters in this new cnn "time" magazine poll. 53% against 44% rossy.
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>> one thing i know about washington state that i can tell you is that outside groups are coming in and running ads. as it is in a lot of states right now, it's not just the candidates and their campaigns but it's groups i r out of washington that are tilting the balance. it's a right spot for democrats. >> are you seeing the same thing that we're seeing, that the enthusiasm level for republicans, conservatives so much higher than for democrats. >> absolutely, i go back to that point i made about likely voters in polls, the likely voter polls are always going to show a more accurate picture of the mood out in the country right now. they want to go out and vote, they're upset, they want to see change. and a lot of democrats are feeling that they had higher expectations for president obama and a lot of them may stay home. it's a big problem for democrats right now. >> you new issue of "time" magazine is going to be a major political reporting, i guess
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you're working on it right now. >> i need to get back and finish it, we're going to have a great story on the tea party and outside groups, hundreds of millions of dollars coming in from washington that might affect the midterm balance. >> we're going to do this every wednesday, looking at these polls. a day after releasing one of the detained hikers, iran releases details about their trials. a skate border steals a koran from a man threatening to burn it. but it's what he said afterwards that's making him an internet celebrity. stay with us, you're in "the situation room." so now, i can join the fun and games with my grandchildren. great news! for people with copd, including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other copd medications
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kate bolduan is monitoring some of the top stories in "the situation room" right now. an iranian prosecutor says the trial for three american hikers will begin soon. shane bauer and josh fattal remain in prison in iran. shourd is now in oman waiting to travel back to the u.s. the hikers were arrested over a year ago after allegedly straying across the border into iran. and a new class of bigger, faster internet connections called super wi-fi may be available near you. the system could lead to wireless internet in rural areas, public wireless, public wireless hot spots and fewer
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wi-fi dead zones. the fcc is scheduled to vote on the matter next week. the associated press reports the obama administration is cracking down on unused oil wells in the gulf of mexico. it says new rules issued today will require oil and gas companies to plug about 3,500 inactive oil wells and dismantle 650 abandoned platforms. ap quotes interior sector kenny smith salazar that could make energy production in the gulf safer. >> jack calf terity in the cafferty file. later on john king usa at the top of the hour reveals michael steele's strategy for the fall. a skate border who prevented a koran from being burned. he's now a most unusual star. stay with us, you're in "the situation room." ♪
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jack's back with the cafferty file. >> the question this hour is how will record levels of poverty in the united states impact the elections? virginia write, depends on how smart or stupid people are. if they're smart, the increase in poverty levels will create a corresponding increase of votes for the democrats. why anyone poor would vote republican is beyond me. missy writes it doesn't matter if democrats are at fault or not, they're the party in power. the nation looks to them for solutions. when they fail to address the very real problems this country has they deserve all the blame that is heaped upon them. joe writes, hard to say how it will affect the elections. it does indicate how effective the emfa service preventing the transfer of wealth from the rich to the poor has been. the rich are assuccumulating al the wealth. mike writes, the only group people can turn to if they are fed up with the status quo is the tea party. it's very possible people are
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voting for the tea party candidates simply out of frustration, not knowing what the group really stands for. she writes from arizona, it will probably be bad for the democrats as there are so many voters out there with short-term memory loss who don't remember who got us into this. i was not an obama fan but whatever he does, it's 100% better than what bush did, and i give him credit, he's trying. you can't clean up an eight-year mess in less than two years. and herb writes from florida, it won't impact them at all. the tea party and republican voters will just step over and around the poor on their way to the voting booth. if you want to read more on this, you'll find it on my blog, cnn.com/caffertyfile. delightful address, wouldn't you agree? >> delightful. we'll do it again tomorrow. >> okay. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. a skateboarder steals a koran from a radical christian who was trying to burn it but it's not what he did that people can't seem to forget, what's he
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said. most unusual remark just ahead. the smell of freshly juiced wheat grass and hand pressed shirts. whatever scents fill your household, purina tidy cats scoop helps neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats scoop. keep your home smelling like home. i just wish that all of the important information was gathered together in one place. [ printer whirs ] done. ♪ thanks. do you work here? not yet. from tax info to debunking myths, the field guide to evolving your workforce has everything you need. download it now at thinkbeyondthelabel.com. has everything you need. our points from chase sapphire preferred
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save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance?really was abe lincoln honest? mary: does this dress make my backside look big? abe: perhaps... save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance?really host: is having a snowball fight with pitching great randy johnson a bad idea? man: yeah, i'm thinking maybe this was a bad idea. today's hot shots. salvador day parade. in new york city, a mold gdel g ready to walk the runway. and a zoo in switzerland, an d indian lion rests his head on a rock. a skateboarder is in the
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spotlight for his most unusual comments at a planned koran burning. here's cnn's jeanne moos. >> reporter: two words you won't expect to find in the same sentence, dude and koran. words uttered by this 23-year-old skateboarder, as he snatched the koran away from a radical christian threatening to burn it. >> snook up behind him and took his koran. he said something about burning the koran. i said, dude, you have no koran, and ran off. >> reporter: now his line has taken off. >> i was, like, dude, you have no koran. >> reporter: now jacob isom is being "duded" to death. dude, you are a hero. you rule, dude. god bless you, dirty hippie. >> like, way to go, what you did, then make fun of my haircut. it cracks me up. >> reporter: he works at a pizza shop and aspires to hospital a cooking show. >> jake make cheese steak, let's go. >> reporter: jacob went to the burn a koran event in texas to protest it. demonstrators chant the at the guy threatening to burn the
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muslim holy book. protesters put their hands on the grill to prevent the burning and jacob pretended he was one of the burners, standing behind their leader. >> what if someone burned the bible? >> let them do it. it's a free country. >> reporter: seconds later, jacob snatched the koran, which had already been doused with lighter fluid. watch again, behind the organizer's back. >> it's called the stolen koran! >> so i'm not afraid of them. >> reporter: jacob gave the book to a muslim. >> some brave young gentleman on a skateboard. >> reporter: jacob describes himself as agnostic. some described him as a thief. >> somebody's going to purchase all the material to make a bomb and i'm going to steal it from them before they put their bomb together and blow it up, does that make me a thief? >> reporter: as for the skateboard on which jacob made his getaway, guess where that ended up? where else, ebay. we're not even sure jacob
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uttered the exact words now plastered on a t-shirt. >> it's called the stolen koran. >> reporter: does this whole "dude, you have no koran" line remind you of anything? remember this guy -- >> don't tas me, bro! >> reporter: jacob wasn't tased, but he did seem a little dazed. >> what radio station is this? >> reporter: it's not the radio, it's cnn. >> oh, i'm talking to cnn right now? >> reporter: yeah, jacob. >> wow. >> reporter: the koran didn't ignite, but jacob sure is burning up the internet. >> dude, you have no koran. >> reporter: jeanne moos -- >> dude, you have no koran. >> reporter: cnn, new york. remember, you can always follow what's going on behind the scenes here in "the situation room." i'm on twitter. you can get my tweets at twitter.com/wolfblitzercnn. @wolfblitzercnn. remember, all one word. or